Investigation into a fatal accident at James Street station, Liverpool on 22 October 2011

The RAIB is carrying out an investigation into a fatal accident that occurred at James Street station, in Liverpool, on 22 October 2011.  At about 23:30 hrs, a passenger, who had alighted from a train stopped in platform 1, fell between the train and the platform as the train was leaving the station.

The train’s guard signalled the driver to stop immediately he saw the young person fall from the platform, which was soon after he had instructed the train driver to set off for the next station. The driver applied the emergency brake which brought the train to a stop from around 10 mph (16km/h).

The investigation will seek to understand how this particular train was dispatched and more generally, how train dispatch is managed by Merseyrail in their various platform environments.

The RAIB’s investigation is independent of any investigations by the police and the safety authority (the Office of Rail Regulation).

The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

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